What does it cost to run a news organization that answers to no shareholders, no government, and no big advertisers? In this episode of Silicon Valley Front Row, Steve Ispas and David sit down with William Chung, CFO of The Epoch Times, to talk about the price of staying independent and telling the truth, no matter who it upsets.

William explains how a nonprofit media company funds itself, with about 90 percent of revenue coming from reader subscriptions, and why The Epoch Times keeps advertising to a minimum and avoids donations from industries it reports on, such as big pharma. He describes what it is like to run a newsroom that receives frequent bomb threats by email, and what he says happens when the FBI cannot trace threats that come from overseas. He also shares how, since 2020, the company has faced restrictions on Facebook ads, lower visibility on Google search, and YouTube demonetization that he says took monthly revenue from six figures to zero overnight.

William also tells his own story: growing up in a small village in China with one television channel, moving to Hong Kong at seven, joining the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests as a middle school student, and leaving for the United States at 18. We talk about how that experience shaped his belief in independent journalism, the company’s move into health content and documentaries, its international expansion, and where he sees The Epoch Times in the next ten years.

Two questions for you: What do you think about big tech platforms shaping what speech gets seen in America? And when you want the news, do you go to social media and aggregators, or straight to the source?

Silicon Valley Front Row brings you conversations with the people shaping business, media, and culture in the Bay Area and beyond.

Can you reach the hidden crater at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Park? This secret sea cave is only accessible at low tide, and we hiked three miles along the beach to find out. In this episode of Silicon Valley Front Row, host Steve Ispas meets fellow hikers in the parking lot, learns the story behind the collapsed sea cave, and races the clock across soft sand, a creek, and a river flowing into the ocean. Along the way we explore rock tunnels, a sea cave, and one of the biggest mussel beds we've ever seen. The tide had other plans. Find out how close we got, what the crater looks like from the edge, and what happened to our hiking boots. Watch the full episode for a Bay Area adventure that doesn't go quite as planned.

Silicon Valley Front Row celebrates America's 250th birthday at the Redwood City Fourth of July Parade! Steve Ispas and David Lam hit the streets to check out some truly incredible participants — from a 1929 Ford that tops out at 35 mph on El Camino Real, to a 1940 Canadian-made Chevy Master 85 with only 64,000 miles, a 1944 WWII Army Duck rebuilt over three years, a stunning 1960 Corvette, and a modified 2020 Corvette C8 from TTS Motorsports right here in Santa Clara. Along the way they talk to classic car owners about their restoration journeys, catch live music from Redwood City natives bringing sounds to the community, and meet the Falun Dafa meditation group celebrating American freedom — many of whom escaped from CCP China and never miss the chance to honor the liberty they've found here. With Epoch Times riding along as part of the parade, it's a festive, patriotic, and truly community-driven Fourth of July episode unlike anything Silicon Valley Front Row has done before. What does America's 250th anniversary mean to you? Drop your thoughts in the comments! Like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you never miss an episode of Silicon Valley Front Row. #July4th #FourthOfJuly #RedwoodCity #ClassicCars #America250 #SiliconValleyFrontRow #July4thParade #BayArea #VintageCars #IndependenceDay